Using data from the German Perinatal Registries, we analyzed all singleton deliveries in Germany during the years 1995 to 1997 in terms of birth weight variation and prematurity rates, and their distribution in the different German federal states. Prematurity rates, birth weight and height are influenced by multiple factors, such as biological, medical, psychosocial, economic, and demographic characteristics of the maternal population, working together in a complex manner. These factors are variable influenced by social changes. Maternal age and parity, which are biological and demographic characteristics, influence fetal development including weight and height, but also the preterm delivery rate. There is a close correlation between the preterm delivery rate and maternal age, while the importance of the other factors cannot easily be ascertained. On the other hand, age correlates with many other characteristics such as pre-gestational body weight or parity, which influence birth weight and gestational age at delivery. For differences in prematurity rates between the German federal states (Northern vs. Southern), constitutional maternal factors seem to be especially responsible. The higher prematurity rates in the former "Western" part of Germany (7.3%) compared to the "Eastern" part (6.7%) during these years might partially be explained by the still more favourable mean maternal age in the Eastern German countries. For the first child, maternal age range with the lowest prematurity rate is 21 to 24 years, and for the second child it is 25 to 31 years. As a consequence, due to the increasing maternal age at delivery in this part of Germany, an increase in pre-term delivery can be expected during the next years.     «

Using data from the German Perinatal Registries, we analyzed all singleton deliveries in Germany during the years 1995 to 1997 in terms of birth weight variation and prematurity rates, and their distribution in the different German federal states. Prematurity rates, birth weight and height are influenced by multiple factors, such as biological, medical, psychosocial, economic, and demographic characteristics of the maternal population, working together in a complex manner. These factors are vari...     »